Hi..for about a month now we(Kapiti resident) have been experiencing significant picture distortion fade and sound distortion on our upstairs TV.  TV is about 3-5 years old but works well and has a split Sky signal coming into it as well as Freeview(Strong box) (Signal comes in to downstairs TV). 

We have had a freeview technicican up..and a mate of his.. and spent $135 so far to no avail.  Box has been reset and re tuned but this didnt change anything.  Comment was made that Strong is not an approved Freeview box but it has been working fine for last 2 years or so.

Sateliite dish feed was checked but seemingly okay.

Thoughts as to what problem could be and solution appreciated.  Our first thought is buy a cheap new box, retune and go from there?

 

 

 

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Where are your STBs located and how are they connected to the TVs?

Thanx for reply.  Is STB the freeview box?.  If so it(we only have one TV with a freeview box) is located upstairs in the TV cabinet and has a cable going out to(or from!) satellite feed and then the TV picks up the cable coming back in.

So we have dish on the roof that both this box and our myskyhdi box downstairs gets signal off.  there is no problem with signal quality downstairs.  There is grey splitter box outside.

STB = Set Top Box, either Sky or Freeview.

OK, if I understand correctly your dish has a cable going to a splitter outside then cables from the splitter to the Freeview box upstairs and the Sky box downstairs? Not sure what you mean by "the TV picks up the cable coming back in".

Presumably with Sky downstairs you don't need a Freeview box there as you can watch all channels OK on Sky. So how does your Freeview box connect to TV? It should be connected via HDMI, component or composite A/V leads in which case you shouldn't get any picture problems unless a:- the LNB is drifting off frequency due to aging, or b:- the STB is faulty.

Hi..yes I think you understand correct.  I think I meant the TV upstairs gets the sky signal from downstairs via te white cable.

Yes I dont need freeview STB downsatirs but because I run a split cable to the kitchen TV and the downstairs TV off a UHF aerial so I can watch Sommet sports!

Freeview STB is conencted by yellow red white plugs.

So LNB? drifting off due to aging?..aging of what?.

STB faulty I could understand so maybe cheapish first attempt could be new STB.  recommendations or doesnt it matter per se..I see Smith City and Dick Smith have some for around $100.

Cheers

I'm getting confused now.

Is your Freeview STB Satellite or UHF? Does your upstairs TV have Freeview built in? If you are getting Sky upstairs via a white cable then I presume that is plugged into the Tv and you are tuning on an analogue channel? We really need more detailed info of your setup to start diagnosing the problem.

LNB = Low Noise Block which is the receptor at the focal point of the dish antenna.

A lot of LNBs tend to drift off frequency as they age needing replacement after 2 or 3 years. Freeview satellite receivers seem to be more suceptible to this drift than Sky boxes. It's usually noticeable in the afternoon when the LNB gets hot in the sun and dropouts and signal fade occurs.

The downstairs Tv has MYsky + RF cable feeding the signal to upstairs Tv.

The downstairs and kitchen Tv are also connected via a UHF aerial.

I assume that the Kitchen and Downstairs both have freeview built in.

I  also assume the Upstairs Tv doesn't have freeview built in.

That's my interpretation...

That's what I'm thinking too but still don't know if the Freeview STB is satellite or terrestrial. Would be logical to use a terrestrial box in which case there could be a problem if the rf modulator on the Sky box is same frequency as one of the Freeview mux. If its a satellite box it could be a LNB problem.

Paul said:

The downstairs Tv has MYsky + RF cable feeding the signal to upstairs Tv.

The downstairs and kitchen Tv are also connected via a UHF aerial.

I assume that the Kitchen and Downstairs both have freeview built in.

I  also assume the Upstairs Tv doesn't have freeview built in.

That's my interpretation...

Hi to both of you..Paul is correct except I cant confirm if downstarirs TV has inbuilt freeview :>(.  Given it is a brand new LG 50 inch Plasma, probably, but as far as Im aware it was tuned(by me) off the UHF split cable as I only ever watch Sommet on it and it gets Sommet which is UHF only at the moment. I toggle between modes HDMI1 and UHF aerial to choose which channel to watch.

Biggles..the STB is tuned off satellite as far as Im aware as there is no UHF connection to the upstairs TV.  Upstairs TV does not have inbuilt freeview.  As far as I know Sky upstairs is simply a split feed from downstairs with booster..quality drops off markedly.

Interesting re LNB..to complete novice.

OK

Sommet Sports is only on Freeview UHF so your LG is definitely on Freeview.

As for the upstairs - What is the brand and model of the STB?

If the Freeview STB is a satellite box then it is likely to be an aging LNB problem. You could get Sky to check the LNB?

As you are in a Freeview Terrestrial area I'd suggest replacing the Freeeview STB with a new Freeview UHF box and connect to the UHF antenna. You'll get much better picture quality (and Sommet Sports too)..

The brand is "Strong"..age 3-4 years.  I will check tonight what else it says re satellite or terrestrial and model :>)

Last suggestion looks good.  Would need a threeway splitter of UHF signal lol.  Current two way split with basis splitetr hasnt harmed quality.

Will also check with Sky re LNB(do they remote in and check?)..does one replace those if "faulty" or old?  Cost?

Thanx for help so far.

If you get a 3-way splitter make sure it's good quality with f connectors. Also make sure your co-ax is in excellent condition. Better bet would be to install another UHF antenna just for upstairs. Keep checking Dick Smith online til they have them on special. Their complete installation kit has been as low as $39.95 at times.

Sky would need to send a tech to check the LNB and I guess would charge you if its OK but not if it has to be replaced. They own the Sky box and Dish. Probably more economic in the long run to go down the UHF Antenna and STB route. You could also consider upgrading the upstairs TV to a Freeview model? Labour Weekend sales coming up!

Trevor Knowles said:

Last suggestion looks good.  Would need a threeway splitter of UHF signal lol.  Current two way split with basis splitetr hasnt harmed quality.

Will also check with Sky re LNB(do they remote in and check?)..does one replace those if "faulty" or old?  Cost?

Thanx for help so far.

Cheers,,thanx for all your time. yeah I did think about new TV.  Smiths City Porirua have half price today only..had a nice looking 42inch.  By the time I have bought aerial and cable and box....
 
Biggles said:

If you get a 3-way splitter make sure it's good quality with f connectors. Also make sure your co-ax is in excellent condition. Better bet would be to install another UHF antenna just for upstairs. Keep checking Dick Smith online til they have them on special. Their complete installation kit has been as low as $39.95 at times.

Sky would need to send a tech to check the LNB and I guess would charge you if its OK but not if it has to be replaced. They own the Sky box and Dish. Probably more economic in the long run to go down the UHF Antenna and STB route. You could also consider upgrading the upstairs TV to a Freeview model? Labour Weekend sales coming up!

Trevor Knowles said:

Last suggestion looks good.  Would need a threeway splitter of UHF signal lol.  Current two way split with basis splitetr hasnt harmed quality.

Will also check with Sky re LNB(do they remote in and check?)..does one replace those if "faulty" or old?  Cost?

Thanx for help so far.

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